Christ the King Homily

Who is this Jesus?

You come to church, turn on TV,
go to the Internet, a bookstore,
and everybody
has something to say about Jesus.

Only it’s pretty confusing.
Did he really live? Or was he made up?
I heard the Church invented it all.
Who is this Jesus?

Anyway, I can live my life without Jesus.
I work, and go to school,
and deal with my friends and family.

I don’t need people pushing Jesus in my face!
I can make my own choices.

What’s wrong with me,
the way I am? I’m fine!

Oh.
Well, yeah—there is that.
I don’t know why I keep doing that.
Oh God! I don’t want
anyone to know I did that!

OK, so there’s a part of us
that’s not so good.
This is how it is.
What are you going to do?

People do rotten stuff;
they go to war and kill;
poor people suffer and die.
That’s how it is;
what are you going to do?

Change the world?
I can’t even change me!

God—are you there?
What do you say to this?
Do you care?
What are you going to do?

If I think you’re talking to me,
how do I know that’s You—
not just me, talking to myself?

Is there any hope for us, God?

If only you’d come—here—among us.
We could see you—
touch you—know you’re real.

Does being human have any meaning—
or are we just a blip?

You did come? You became human?
Just like me?
Wow—that’s pretty cool!

Wait a minute, God—
I sin all the time;
please tell me you didn’t.
Please tell me that somebody
can live a human life
without all the ugliness!

OK...so you became human,
like me;
but you lived each day
choosing what’s right.

Yeah—I bet you did get a lot of flak.
That must have been pretty hard.

I can see how some
might actually hate you:
See you as a threat.

So—they really had to shut you up,
didn’t they?
You let them kill you—
I don’t know why you did that.

You’re God—how can they kill you?
Only—you were human—
so you really did die.
For real! Wow!

Why’d you do that, God?
To pay for our sins?
You could have done it lots of other ways—
why suffer? Why die?
“Because we do”?

Yeah—I remember
when my mom died of cancer.
That was pretty rough—
for her and for all of us.

But that’s true—
she did talk a lot about your Cross, then.
I guess I’ve had some of those moments, too;
nice to know you’ve been there!

So—everything that happens to us,
happened to you?

All the ugliness? All the hatred?
All the horrors?

And you chose that?!?

God—how did you survive that?
How did that not totally mess you up?
How could you not,
just, wipe us out, instead?

How can you love us that much?

So you came back—after dying?
You overcame death and evil—
it didn’t overwhelm You!

There is hope!

Your body came back to life, too?
You didn’t just leave
your body behind, after that?

Wait a minute, God—
are you telling me you’re still human?

You still have flesh-and-blood,
feelings, thoughts—
just like me?

You’re going to be human forever?

That’s really awesome!

You must really believe in us, God!

I heard you left after that, God—
after you rose from the dead,
you hung around awhile—
but then you left again.

Why’d you leave?

OK—you’re in heaven, running things;
but we need you here, too—
more than ever!

Oh yeah—that power of yours!
That’s here?
You gave it to us?

Your Power—your Holy Spirit—
is in your Church, your people?
That’s why the Church goes on, despite us!
That’s how the pope can speak for you?
That’s how all those people became saints!

Wait a minute: You’re plan…
is to turn us…into YOU?
I don’t really understand that, but—WOW!

Still…Jesus:
our world…people need a lot of help!

That’s my job?
We’re supposed to change the world?

Can I have some
of that power of yours, Jesus?

Oh—baptism, OK;
Yeah, I can go to confession—
like taking a shower!
When I got confirmed—
your Holy Spirit!

And you feed us
with your Body and Blood?
You give us power in our path in life:
I could get married
and you would create
new life through me!
or I could be a priest,
or a deacon, for your People—
and I’d help create life that way!

Now that I think about it,
you really are doing a lot in the world—
only we have to look for it—
listen for your voice.

Thank you Jesus—
I’m really glad I know
who you are, now.